XXI Curso Internacional de Postgrado en Metalogenia: Mineralogía, geoquímica, bio-geoquímica y remediación ambiental de desechos mineros

Course Objectives
In the 20 years long history of this event, it was mainly devoted to the transfer of state-of-the-art knowledge of ore-forming processes to South America. As the environmental aspects of mining activities are gaining more and more relevance today, the course will be devoted this year for the first time completely to the environmental impact of mining activities.
By the formation and sensibilisation of university professors and responsible staff of Geological Surveys and Mining Industry for the environmental issues of mining activities, this course ensures in a optimum way the distribution of this knowledge and to obtain the best impact for sustainable development and promote future international and interdisciplinary research activities.

Description of the course
The course is outlined to illustrate the interdisciplinarity of the geomicrobiological processes involved in the formation of mine water contamination. It covers aspects of:

• meteorization processes, lixivation and its effects in supergene ore-forming processes;
• the role of the primary geology for the potential environmental impact of an ore deposit;
• the environmental geochemistry of mine waste management (tailings, waste-dumps, and pit lakes);
• sampling and analytical techniques for the environmental studies of mine waste will be presented and their strengths and limitations will be discussed critically;
• the influence of microbiological interactions in the formation of contaminated mine waters and the potential for bioremediation will be highlighted;
• the possibilities of reduction of the environmental impact of mining activities will be discussed at the example of the Aznalcóllar accident in Spain.

In a field trip the whole process of mining from the ore recovery in the mine to crushing, milling, and treatment processes and the deposition of the waste material will be shown under the environmental aspects. Sampling and analytical techniques will be applied in the field by the participants. The course will be complemented with exercises and the development of a closure plan for a mine in group work.
The course contains 6 days classes and a 4 days field trip (June 17-26, 2002). It is a postgraduate course and has been attended usually by Latin American geologists coming from Universities, Research Institutes, Geologic Surveys, and mining companies.

The program of this course is also accessible via the homepage http://www.unige.ch/sciences/terre/mineral/ore/min_ore.html

This event has the support of UNESCO, the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) by the Swiss Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries (KFPE), and of the Geological Surveys of Canada, Spain, and Ecuador, as well of the University of Lausanne (450e Anniversary Foundation).

UNESCO-SEG International Metallogeny Course (June 17-26, 2002; Quito, Ecuador)
For the first time completely devoted to mine waste management

The XXI edition of the International Metallogeny Course was held at the Facultad de Ingenería en Geología, Minas, Petróleo y Ambiental

Fig. 1: Group photo in the Portovelo-Zaruma mining district

de la Universidad Central del Ecuador (Quito) on June 17-26.2002. The course, traditionally sponsored by the Society of Economic Geologists and UNESCO, had this year also the generous support of the KFPE agency of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) as well as additional financial collaboration of the Instituto Geológico de España and the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Altogether, this financial support has allowed to fund 25 travel grants (record number in the history of the course) included among the 43 Latin American geologists, mining engineers, chemists, and ecologists coming from universities (17), research institutes and Geologic Surveys (13), mining companies (1), consultants (5) and students (8) of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, and Venezuela who have attended the course.

The 2002 edition, and this was new land for the course, was completely devoted to the geochemical and geomicrobiological aspects of mine waste management. During the six days of lectures, a broad overview about the environmental problems of mining activities with special focus on the formation, control and prevention of acid mine drainage was given. The aspects covered in the course included a general introduction to supergene processes (Bill Chavez, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology); geomicrobiology and bioremediation (Gordon Southam, U. Western Ontario); aquatic geochemistry, geochemistry of mine waste management, remediation, prevention, and treatment strategies of mine waters (Bernhard Dold, U. of Lausanne); the Aznalcóllar, tailings dam failure (Julio Arranz, IGME); and the geology and metallogeny of Ecuador (A. Paladines, U. Central Ecuador; W. Bonilla, BIRA S.A.). Presentations by the grant holders and practical exercises (geochemical calculations and the development of mine closure plans) completed the program.

Fig. 2 Visit of the cyanidation plant in Ponce Enriques with oxidizing tailings impoundments.

In the 4 days long field trip, practical aspects related to mine waste, including arsenic, cyanide, and mercury contamination, were shown in the Ponce Enriquez and the Portovelo/Zaruma gold mining districts. The whole process from mine production, to ore dressing and tailings disposal, could be illustrated. The MINANCA mine and the SODIREC cyanidation plant, were visited. The modern and clean SODIREC plant with its H2O2 cyanide-degradation process was in illustrative contrast to the problematic situation along the Río Amarillo and Río La Calera river with numerous small scale treatment plants without any environmental control.

The course was in opinion of participants and instructors a great success and has originated a South American network on "Geochemistry on Mine Waste Management" (for further information contact Bernhard.Dold@cam.unil.ch).

Further information on this and past editions of the course can be obtained from the web page http://www.unige.ch/sciences/terre/mineral/ore/min_ore.html.

Contact adddresses

Ing. Pedro Espín M. (Director of the Ecuadorian Organization Committee)
Curso Internacional de Metalogenia
Universidad Central del Ecuador
Facultad Ingeniería Geología, Minas y Petróleos.
Instituto Superior de Postgrado
Phone: 00593-2- 557814
Fax: 00593-2-566738
e-mail: ispfigempa@andinanet.net

Dr. Bernhard Dold (International Academic Coordinator)
Centre d'Analyse Minérale
Sciences de la Terre BFSH 2
Université de Lausanne
CH-1015 Lausanne
Switzerland
Tel.:+41-21-6924327
Fax.:+41-21-6924315
email: Bernhard.Dold@cam.unil.ch
http://www-sst.unil.ch/
http://www-sst.unil.ch/cam/